Pregnancy is a time filled with joy, anticipation, and sometimes uncertainty. One of the most common concerns expecting parents face is how to ensure the health and safety of both the mother and the baby, especially when it comes to using medications. With so much information available, it can be challenging to separate fact from fiction. That’s why we’re committed to providing clear, reliable guidance to help you make informed decisions about safe medication use during pregnancy.
The research is clear: Tylenol is safe
We understand that recent claims and headlines regarding the use of Tylenol (active ingredient, acetaminophen) during pregnancy might have caused feelings of guilt, anger, or fear. However, we want to reassure you with facts: both Canadian and international authorities, including the SOGC (Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada), ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists), and WHO/EMA (World Health Organization/European Medicines Agency), continue to affirm the appropriate use of acetaminophen during pregnancy.
When used as directed, acetaminophen is considered safe in pregnancy and remains the first choice for fever and pain; recent headlines are not supported by causal evidence.
Why this matters: Untreated maternal fever/pain can harm parent and fetus; treating symptoms appropriately is important care, not a moral failing.
Harrison recommends using the lowest effective dose for the shortest time needed. Talk to us if you have any questions.
Acetaminophen and Child Neurodevelopment: What the Best Studies Really Say and Why There’s Confusion
You might have heard conflicting information about acetaminophen (Tylenol) use during pregnancy and child neurodevelopment. Let’s clear up the confusion:
The Strongest Evidence: The most robust and modern studies, like a 2025 study involving 2.5 million Swedish pregnancies (where researchers compared siblings who had different acetaminophen exposure), have found no increased risks of autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability from prenatal acetaminophen exposure. This type of study with a sibling-controlled design means that it controlled for genetics and shared environment and as such is the gold standard for epidemiology.
These powerful studies are designed to reduce misleading factors. Where did the confusion come from?
Some older studies suggested a link between acetaminophen use in pregnancy and conditions like autism or ADHD. But these were observational studies, meaning that they only looked for patterns. Just because two things are linked doesn’t mean one caused the other. Newer, larger, and better-designed research has directly addressed the weaknesses of those earlier studies and found no causal link. Even the author of the 2019 study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, Dr. Xiaobin Wang himself was quoted in media coverage, such as NPR: “this does not mean acetaminophen use causes these conditions.”
Distinguishing Correlation from Causation
Many pregnant people use acetaminophen to manage symptoms such as fever, infection, or severe pain. While these factors may coincide with certain health outcomes, this highlights the important distinction between commonality and causation. There is no evidence to suggest that either an illness or a medication directly causes neurodivergent traits. Instead, neurodivergence is the result of a complex interplay of many contributing factors.
Methodological limitations (weaknesses in how the studies were done):
- People were often asked to remember years later how much Tylenol they took and when, which is very unreliable.
- Some studies only measured acetaminophen once (like a single blood test near delivery), which doesn’t show total use across the pregnancy.
- They didn’t account for genetics, family history, or home environment, all of which strongly influence autism and ADHD.
- Many of the early studies that caused worry were relatively small (ie: 996 participants in one noted study) compared to the millions of pregnancies we now have data on. Small studies are less reliable because their limited sample sizes can magnify differences, increase the impact of unmeasured factors, and prevent generalization to larger populations.
The Clear Takeaway for Families: There is no proven causal link between acetaminophen used as directed during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental conditions in children. Correlation doesn’t equal causation. When used appropriately, it remains a safe and recommended option for managing fever and pain during pregnancy.
What major health bodies are saying in 2025:
- SOGC (Canada): Continues to recommend acetaminophen as first-line for fever/pain in pregnancy when medically indicated, at recommended doses/shortest duration. (Sept 15, 2025).
- ACOG (U.S.): Affirms safety/benefit of acetaminophen; untreated conditions carry risk. (Sept 22, 2025; updated FAQ).
- WHO / EMA / U.K. regulators: Evidence for autism link is inconsistent; paracetamol (Tylenol) remains appropriate in pregnancy when needed. (Sept 23, 2025).
Note on headlines: Some political announcements suggest label changes; at Harrison Healthcare, our clinical guidance follows peer-reviewed evidence and obstetric societies. (If regulations change in Canada, we will update this page promptly.)
Practical guidance for using acetaminophen in pregnancy
- When to use it: fever ≥38°C, persistent headache (including possible preeclampsia symptom), musculoskeletal pain. Treating these matters.
How to use: lowest effective dose, shortest duration. Avoid accidental “double-dosing,” which can happen when taking a multi-symptom cold remedy that already contains acetaminophen along with a separate dose of acetaminophen. Ask your clinician or pharmacist if you’re unsure. - When to call us instead: pain/fever >24–48 hours, dose uncertainty, liver disease, or polypharmacy.
